ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Arable Short 03 Biochar Part 1: Burn with Eric Mayer, Jack Sporer & Charlie Toledo visits a retired vineyard along Huichica Creek in Carneros, where Jack Sporer (FRES.CO Wines) and the Napachar turn turning three-year-old vine piles into biochar with a flame cap kiln instead of burning them off as smoke. Eric Mayer (Napachar) walks through the science of flame carbonization, from why a top-lit burn produces almost no smoke to how crushing biochar and blending it with compost boosts its benefit to the soil. Special returning guest, Charlie Toledo (Suscol Intertribal Council) speaks to the deeper context: fire as an essential, long-suppressed tool of Indigenous land stewardship, and the work of reclaiming that knowledge as the earth rebalances itself after a century of fire suppression and industrial extraction.
Arable is a documentary series that profiles a new generation of farmers, winemakers, small business owners, and advocates who are reshaping relationships between land, labor, and community in the region. Directed by Aaron Brown, presented by The Future Collective. We hope these conversations help you understand the values of a new generation that might become the foundation of a regenerative and diversified economic future for Sonoma Valley.
Learn more at www.thefuturecollective.org/arable. The project is funded by the Sonoma Valley Catalyst Fund.
